Fan and motor support



Nov. 22, 1949 H. TR OLLER ml 2,488

' FAN AND MOTOR surronw Filed May'5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV NTRS WZM WWW NovLZZ, 1949 TROLLER ETAL 2,488,945

" mu AND MOTOR SUPPORT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed May 5, 1944 INVENTORS Nov. 22, 1949 T. H.- TLLER ET-AL 2, 88 5 mu AND MOTOR SUPPORT Filed May 5, 1944 4 Shee t -Sheet 3 7X INVENTORS Nov. 22, 1949- H T. H, TROLLER ETA; v, 2,488,945

7 FAN nn Mofofi SUPronT I Filed May 5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet INVE TORS 7M 4M Patented Nov. 22, 1949 FAN AND MOTOR SUPPORT Theodor H. Troller and Chester P. Jenkins, New

Philadelphia, Ohio, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Joy Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 5, 1944, Serial No. 534,213 11 Claims. (Cl. 230-117) The invention relates in general to an axial flow fan and a drive therefor and more particularly to a fan-and-drive housing adapted to support the fan and the drive thereon.

An object of our invention is the provision of a fan-and-drive housing in which the fan-anddrive are so mounted and aligned with the housing that the tip clearance between the fan and the housing may be maintained at a close minimum.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an inner annular wall connected to an outer annular wall by a plurality of vanes, in which the inner annular wall has a plurality of inwardly extending ribs having their inner ends thereof closely receiving a motor or drive and substantially aligning the motor or drive concentric within the inner annular wall.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an inner annular wall having an external surface which substantially is co-extensive with the external surface of the fan rotor or hub, the inner annular wall having a plurality of annularly spaced inwardly extending ribs to closely receive the motor or drive.

Another object of our invention is the provision of mounting a motor or drive which has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the fan rotor or hub within an inner annular housing having inwardly extending ribs for supporting the motor or drive substantially concentric within the inner housing which has an external surface substantially co-extensive with the external surface of the fan rotor or hub, the inner annular housing being substantially concentrically supported within an outer annular housing by a plurality of vanes to provide an annular space through which the fan driven air may flow.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of our invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a housing embodying the features of our invention taken along the line ll of Figure 4; and showing a mounting for an electric motor which is mounted internally of the housing and directly driving the'fan;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 3; the inner parts of the housing being shown in full;

Figure 3 is a front end view of the housing shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the'line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a modified form of the housing for a motor drive taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 6;

Figure 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 5, with a. portion of the housing broken away and shown in section;

Figure '7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of Figure 8 of a housing embodying the features of our invention and showing a mounting for a drive shaft driven by an externally mounted motor; and

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 88 of- Figure 7.

The invention will first be described with referance to the fan and motor in which the housing has the motor internally mounted therein and directly driving the fan. With reference to Figures l to 6 of the drawings, the fan and motor housing comprises a cast structure having an outer annular wall Ill and an inner annular wall 24 disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan driven air may flow, see arrows in Figure 1. The inner annular wall 24 is supported within the outer annular wall ID by means of a plurality of air guide vanes l2 which are integrally connected to the inner surface of the outer annular wall and the external surface of the inner annular wall. The air guide vanes l2 are annularly spaced around the inner annular wall 24 and extend outwardly to the outer annular wall Ill. As shown in the drawings, the outer annular wall [0 may be provided with flanges l l upon the end thereof whereby the unit may be conveniently connected in any suitable duct arrangement for transmitting air. comprises a fan hub 13 having fan blades l5 extending therefrom and is arranged to be driven by an electric motor l4 which is mounted substantially concentric within the inner annular wall 24. The forward edge of the fan hub i3 is provided with a nose-like cover I8 which may be secured thereto by means of screws l9. The fan may be secured to the motor shaft l6 by means of a nut I! which is accessible when the nose-like cover I8 is removed.

The right-hand end of the inner annular wall 24 is provided with an end wall 25 against which the right-hand end of the motor l4 abuts and to which the motor is secured by cap screws 26. Extending inwardly of the inner annular wall 24 are a plurality of annularly spaced ribs 21 which closely receive the outer diameter of the motor. When casting the ribs, they may be made extra long so that they may be machined off to receive the motor for driving the fan. For motors having a small diameter the ribs are not cut off very much and for motors having a large diameter a considerable amount of the ribs are cut away. The cross-section of the ribs 21 are substantially the same as the cross-section of the inner annular wall 24 so as to avoid all possible defects when casting the entire assembly. As shown in Figure 1, the right-hand end of the The fan assesses inner annular wall 24 has a reduced portion 23 which closely fits within the fan hub l3. This construction permits us to mount the right-hand end of the motor well within the hub of the fan and gives a balanced distribution of the weight of the motor with respect to the ribs and the vanes l2 which support the inner annular wall 24 within the outer annular wall It.

In Figures and 6 we show a modified form of our invention in that the inner housing or inner wall is closed and in that the right-hand end plate of the motor is mounted to the right-hand end of the ribs. In Figures 5 and 6, the outer annular wall is designated by the reference .character 29 and the inner annular wall or housing is designated by the reference character 3! and is substantially concentrically mounted within the outer annular wall by means of the vanes Ill. As illustrated, the left-hand end of the annular housing 3| is closed by means of a tapered end closure 32 which may be cast integrally therewith. The motor 25 is arranged to drive a fan comprising a fan hub 33 having outwardly extending blades 34. The fan may be of the same construction as shown with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and may have a nose-like cover 44 secured to the fan hub 33 by screws 45. The fan may be secured to the motor shaft 42 by means of a nut 41. The motor 15 may have two end plates 38 and 31 held together by tie-bar bolts 38. Annularly spaced around the motor 35 and welded thereto are a plurality of bars 4 which are arranged to flt within or against the inner ends of the inwardly extending ribs 40. The right-hand end of the ribs 40 are cut away to present a shoulder 4| against which the outer marginal edge of the end plate 26 engages. 'Cap screws 39 may be employed to secure the end plate 36 to the end shoulders of the ribs 40. The inner ends of the ribs are machined oflf to closely receive the spacer bars 4i so that the motor is substantially aligned concentrically within the inner annular housing 2 l whereby the fan blades may have a minimum of clearance with the outer annular wall 29.

In Figures 7 and 8, we show a fan and drive shaft housing, in which the annularly spaced and inwardly extending ribs I of the housing are adapted to closely receive a shaft supporting member or bushing II through which a drive shaft 52 is rotatively mounted in bearings 53. The bushing 5| may be longitudinally secured in position by end caps 84 fastened to the ends of the ribs by cap screws 55. The ribs 50 are integrally cast to an inner annular wall 56 which in turn is cast to an outer annular wall 51 by stationary vanes ii. The bushing Si is concentrically mounted within the outer annular wall 51 and thus the fan blade clearance may be kept at a low minimum. The drive shaft 52 may be driven by a motor 59 mounted externally of the outer annular wall 51. Any suitable means may be employed to drive the shaft such, for example, as a belt 66.

The motor and the bushing or bearing support means constitute cylindrical means having a rotating shaft therein and in all the embodiments of our housings the annularly spaced and inwardly extending ribs are adapted to receive and support the cylindrical means including the motor or the bushing or beating support means, whereby a close tip clearance may be maintained. The housing arrangement moreover enables us to use a certain size housing for a large number of different diameters of motors, bushings or bearing support means for the shaft which is driven by the externally mounted motor. The'lnwardly extending ribs are substantially axially co-extensive with the stationary vanes to give improved results. In each form of the invention it will be observed that the inner ends of the ribs terminate in surfaces which lie in a common surface of revolution coaxial with the surface which bounds the fan chamber, and that the rib surfaces mentioned cooperate, to eifect assured centering oi the fan in the fan chamber, with surface areas on the shaft-supporting member, regardless of the particular form of the latter, which last surface areas lie in a common surface of revolution of which the axis lies in the same line with the axis of the fan supporting shaft.

Although we have described our invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a casing and a shaft rotatably supported by said casing and a fan mounted on said shaft and having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the motor casing substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, said inner annular wall having a transversely disposed end wall against which an end of the motor casing abuts andthrough which the motor shaft extends, and means for securing the motor casing to said end wall, said outer annular wall extending beyond the transversely disposed end wall of the inner wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes, the inwardly extending ribs and the transversely disposed end wall, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

2. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a casing and 'a shaft rotatably supported by said casing and a fan mounted on said shaft and having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annulanwall said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner. ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the motor casing substantially concentric within the inner annular wall said inner annular wall having a transversely disposed end wall against which an end of the motor casing abuts and through which the motor shaft extends, and means for Securing the motor casing to said end wall, said outer annular wall extending beyond the transversely disposed end wall of the inner wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said ribs being substantially axially co-extensive with the vanes, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes, the inwardly extending ribs and the transversely disposed end wall, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

3. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the Outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the rios receiving the motor substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, said inner annular wall and the ribs defining shoulders, said motor having an end plate fitting in the shoulders, means for securing the said end plate to the ribs, said motor shaft extending through the said end plate and driving the fan, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

4. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a. fan mounted thereon having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantiall concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extendin ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving the motor substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, said inner annular wall and the ribs defining shoulders, said motor having an end plate fitting in the shoulders and closing one end of the inner annular wall, the opposite end of the inner annular wall being closed by an integral converging surface, means for securing the said end plate to the ribs, said motor shaft extending through the said end plate and driving the fan, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and'force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular -wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

5. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a casing and a shaft rotatably supported by said casing and a fan mounted on said shaft and having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fandriven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardl extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supportin the motor casing substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, means for securing the motor casing against longitudinal movement within the ribs, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner annular wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular Wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

6. In an axial flow fan structure comprising cylindrical means having a rotating shaft journaled therein and a fan having outwardly extending blades mounted upon the shaft and driven thereby, the improvement of a housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the cylindrical means substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, means for securing the cylindrical means against longitudinal movement within the ribs, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner annular wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the cylindrical means and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

7. In an axial fiow fan structure comprising bearing means having a rotating shaft supported therein and a fan having outwardly extending blades mounted upon the shaft and driven thereby, the improvement of a housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the bearing means substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, means for securing the bearing means against longitudinal movement within the ribs, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner annular wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the bearing means and fan maybe rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

8. In an axial flow fan structure comprising cylindrical means having a rotating shaft therein and supported thereby and a fan rotor having outwardly extending blades mounted upon the shaft and driven thereby, the improvement of a housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the cylindrical means substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, means for securing the cylindrical means against longitudinal movement within the ribs, said outer annular wall extending over the fan rotor and providing a space for the fan rotor to rotate in, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the cylindrical means and fan may be rigidly mountedand aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

9. In an axial flow fan structure comprising an electric motor having a shaft and a fan mounted thereon having outwardly extending blades, said motor having outwardly extending spacer bars, the improvement of a fan and motor housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving the outwardly extending spacer bars of the motor and holding the motor substantially concentric within the inner annular wall, said inner annu- 18.! wall and the ribs defining shoulders, said motor having an end plate fitting in the shoulders, means for securing the said end plate to the ribs, said motor shaft extending through the said end plate and driving the fan, said outer annular wall extending beyond the ner wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the motor and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

10. In an axial flow fan structure comprising cylindrical means having a rotating shaft therein and rotatably supported thereby and a fan having outwardly extending blades mounted upon the shaft and driven thereby, the improvement of a housing comprising a mono-block cast structure having an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentric within the outer annular wall and defining an annular space through which fan-driven air may flow, a plurality of annularly spaced vanes extending across said annular space and connecting said inner annular wall to the outer annular wall, said inner annular wall having inwardly extending ribs, the inner ends of the ribs receiving and supporting the cylindrical means substantially concentric within the inner annular wall and said ribs extending along said cylindrical means from a point adjacent the longitudinal center thereof in both directions for substantial distances towards its ends whereby their coaction with said cylindrical means effects per se the centering of the latter, means for securing the cylindrical means against longitudinal movement .within the ribs, said outer annular wall extending beyond the innerannular wall and providing a space for the fan to rotate in and force air through said annular space, said mono-block cast structure comprising the outer annular wall,

the inner annular wall, the annularly spaced vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby the cylindrical means and fan may be rigidly mounted and aligned within the outer annular wall to maintain a substantially constant tip clearance between the fan and the outer annular wall.

11. In an axial flow fan structure comprising a shaft-supporting member having a fan-supporting shaft rotatably supported therein and thereby, and a fan on said shaft and driven by the latter and having outwardly extending blades, the improvement of a housing comprising a mono-block structure having an outer annular wall, an inner annular wall disposed substantially concentrio within the outer annular wall, a plurality of vanes spaced circumferentially of said walls and connecting them together, said vanes and walls providing a series of passages for the flow of fan-driven air, said outer annular wall extending beyond the inner annular wall and providing a chamber within which the fan is receivable and may rotate with close blade tip clearance, and a plurality of inwardly extending ribs carried by said inner wall and terminating in surfaces which lie in a common surface of revolution coaxial with said fan chamber, said shaftsupporting member having at its periphery a plurality of surface areas lying in a common surface of revolution of which the axis lies in the same line with the axis of said shaft and said inwardly extending ribs supportin said shaft supporting member with the fan supporting shaft coaxial with said fan chamber through the cooperation of the surfaces at the inner end of said ribs with said surface areas, and means for securing said member against longitudinal movement within the ribs, said mono-block structure comprising the outer annular wall, the inner annular wall, the vanes and the inwardly extending ribs, whereby said member may be rigidly mounted in said housing with the fan rotatable with constant tip clearance in said fan chamber.

THEODOR H. TROLIER.

CHESTER P. JENKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,522,191 Junggren Jan. 6, 1925 1,932,231

Schmidt Oct. 24, 1933 Number Number 

